Sioux Falls Half Marathon
State #30: South Dakota
Date: August 28, 2022
Did you know that Sioux Falls is the largest city in the state of South Dakota? With less than 200,000 people, it’s still on the smaller side for anyone who lives in a large city [like me], but there is no shortage of things to do! I wasn’t expecting much in South Dakota, but this was a really fun race weekend with plenty to do outside of the race. I highly recommend checking out the Sioux Falls Half Marathon to cross South Dakota off your 50 states list or just for a fun, well-organized race!
General travel logistics:
If you are flying, the Sioux Falls Regional Airport is most convenient. It’s a tiny airport, so your options may be limited depending on where you are flying in from. Because I live in Chicago, I was able to get a relatively inexpensive flight direct from O’Hare. My east coast friends had a longer travel day, though, with 1-2 connections each way.
If you are only going to Sioux Falls for the race, you do NOT need to rent a car. It’s a quick and cheap Uber ride to the downtown area. And you can easily use Ubers to get around during race weekend - and in most cases it will be cheaper than renting a car.
We stayed in the host hotel on the race website. My friends booked it, and with 3 of us in the room, it was pretty inexpensive. It honestly wasn’t the nicest hotel, though – it smelled a bit musty, our room was pretty dark + old looking, and there wasn’t a free breakfast option. It was super convenient to the race, though – literally next to the start + finish area, which is probably why it’s the host hotel. There are several other hotels across the street from the race, so I would also check those out for comparison. If you stay downtown, it’s a quick drive to the start area.
Race logistics:
The expo was a little out of the way and really the only time a car would have been convenient during our stay. We took an Uber to get there, but it was a little tougher getting one back to downtown. The expo is small so it won’t take you long to pick up your packet.
The start and finish line are in the same area, which makes race day logistics easy. If you are driving, parking seemed plentiful. And as I mentioned above, the host hotel + other nearby hotels are a few minute walk to the race area.
It’s a small race, so no formal corrals and no need for a really early arrival. There are plenty of portapotties at the starting area. The marathon and half marathon start at different times, which also helps the flow of runners.
Race goodies:
The post-race spread was one of the best I’ve seen at a race! It really had everything you could want - chocolate milk, jerky, fruit snacks, bananas, ice cream bars, soda, water, electrolyte drink, beer [alcoholic and N/A]. On a hot day, all the liquids + the ice cream really hit the spot.
I like the shirt we got and it’s different from most of the other race swag I get. While it’s not something I would wear running because it’s more of a cotton material, I really like the look of the shirt and wear it casually. Great lightweight long sleeve to have on hand!
There are free race photos!
Struggling in the heat, but we love free race photos!
Course highlights:
I wouldn’t call this a flat course, but it’s also not the hardest course I’ve run on. There are some hillier sections that are very manageable. The course elevation profile for the half marathon is at the bottom of this page.
The finish line is on the track, which I really enjoyed! The refreshments were set up right outside the fence of the track, so you didn’t have to walk far to get them.
It was a well organized race. While I brought my own water because of the heat, I felt like there was enough aid on the course.
There is a lot of changing scenery - you run through the downtown area, neighborhoods, the Falls, and on a paved trail through trees.
Things to do in Sioux Falls:
There is a lot more to see and do in Sioux Falls than I had imagined! Here are my top recommendations for the weekend:
Walk around Falls Park - while you do run by the Falls during the race, they are worth seeing again
Walk around downtown to see the art - there are a ton of statues all over downtown from artists around the country. Also be sure to stop in some of the local shops, especially the Spice and Tea Exchange.
There is free live music on the weekends at the amphitheater downtown [Levitt at the Falls]. We stumbled upon it after eating dinner on Friday night and it was a lovely way to spend the evening.
There is a large farmer’s market on Saturday morning near at Falls Park. It’s fun to walk around to check out the local vendors and get some fresh produce!
Head to the Greenway Trail System for your shake out run or a long bike ride! You can pick it up downtown or near the Falls, and it goes for miles. The farmer’s market is right off the trail, so you can do both on Saturday morning if you’d like!
Food + drink highlights:
Remedy Brewing – there are quite a few breweries in Sioux Falls, but if you only go to one brewery, make it this one. Monk’s Ale House also has a great selection of beer and good pizza if you need something to eat.
Josiah’s Coffeehouse and Café for brunch – we ate here twice on our trip. It does get busy, so be prepared to wait in line if you go at a peak time.
Ode to Food and Drinks for dinner. We ate here on Saturday evening. While the service was a little off, the food was very good. I do recommend making a dinner reservation for Saturday if you’re traveling from out of town and don’t want to wait [for any restaurant for your pre-race dinner].
Flight of beer at Remedy Brewing
Nice race shirt to wear casually
One of many pieces of art in downtown Sioux Falls
Let me know in the comments if you’ve raced Sioux Falls before and what you liked about it!